Gyroscopic exercise device with handles

ABSTRACT

The gyroscopic device of the preferred embodiments includes a housing; a gyroscope within the housing; and a first handle having a first joint, wherein the first joint is coupled to the housing and is located such that when a user grasps the first handle, the first joint is located along the center line of the user&#39;s palm and adjacent to the user&#39;s wrist. The gyroscope preferably includes a track defining a continuous surface with a circular shape, a rotor that spins about a spin axis and rotates about a rotational axis, wherein the rotor has axle tips that frictionally contact the continuous surface of the track, and wherein the frictional contact defines a relationship between a spin rate of the rotor about the spin axis and a rotation rate of the rotor about the rotational axis.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/866,000 filed on 15 NOV 2006 and entitled “Gyroscopic exercise devicewith non-rigid handles” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/888,748filed 07 FEB 2007 and entitled “Gyroscopic exercise device with pivotinghandles”, which are both incorporated in their entirety by thisreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to the gyroscopic exercise device fieldand, more specifically, to an improved gyroscopic exercise device withan improved user interface.

BACKGROUND

Exercise machines can be used to improve an individual's health byproviding resistance training or cardiovascular training. Conventionalexercise machines for cardiovascular training are typically large andcumbersome. Conventional exercise machines for resistance training onlyprovide resistance along one direction or path and require the user toreconfigure the machine to train the opposing muscles. Conventionalgyroscopic devices were intended to overcome these disadvantages,however, they tend to cause the hands and wrists of a user to experiencea large amount of torque that is not useful and in some cases may beharmful. Thus, there is a need in the gyroscopic exercise device fieldto create an improved gyroscopic exercise device with an improved userinterface. This invention provides such an improved gyroscopic exercisedevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gyroscopic exercise device withhandles.

FIG. 1A is a detailed view of one of the handles with a grip portion ofa gyroscopic exercise device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gyroscopic exercise device withrotating handles.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic diagrams showing the motion of thehandles on the gyroscopic exercise device.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are views of a gyroscopic exercise device with pivotinghandles.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of one of the handles with a first joint of agyroscopic exercise device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a variation the first handle.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams of a top view and a side view,respectively, of a user's right hand with a palm and a wrist.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a gyroscopic force, a moment arm, and agyroscopic moment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the preferred embodiment of the inventionis not intended to limit the invention to this preferred embodiment, butrather to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use thisinvention.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the gyroscopic device 10 of the preferredembodiments includes a housing 20; a gyroscope 30 within the housing 20;and a first handle 40 having a first joint 50, wherein the first joint50 is coupled to the housing 20 and is located such that when a usergrasps the first handle 40, the first joint 50 is located along thecenter line of the user's palm 90 and adjacent to the user's wrist 100.The gyroscope 30 preferably includes a track defining a continuoussurface with a circular shape, a rotor that spins about a spin axis androtates about a rotational axis. The rotor preferably has axle tips thatfrictionally contact the continuous surface of the track, and thisfrictional contact defines a relationship between a spin rate of therotor about the spin axis and a rotation rate of the rotor about therotational axis. The gyroscopic device 10 is preferably designed for thegyroscopic exercise field. The gyroscopic device, however, may bealternatively used in any suitable environment and for any suitablereason.

The housing 20 of the preferred embodiment functions to couple thehandles 40 and 60 to the gyroscope 30. The housing may fully enclose thegyroscope, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, or alternatively, it may partiallyenclose the gyroscope, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. The housing may bemade from rubber, plastic, metal, carbon fiber, composite or any othersuitable material. The housing may be translucent, transparent, opaque,or any suitable combination thereof.

The gyroscope 30 of the preferred embodiment generates gyroscopic forcesthrough the spin and the rotation of the rotor. When these gyroscopicforces are applied to a rotational system along an axis of rotation, thesystem will move along that axis and the gyroscopic forces willtherefore induce substantially transverse motion of the system. Thesegyroscopic forces create gyroscopic moments when the gyroscopic forcesare applied to a rotational system at a distance from an axis ofrotation. A first rotation system includes the axes of rotation 110,120, and 130, as shown in FIG. 7A (top view of a user's right hand in aneutral position) and FIG. 7B (side view of a user's right hand of auser in neutral position). Neutral position is with the hand parallel tothe forearm (wrist 100 not bent) and the thumb up so that the palm 90 ofthe hand is towards the torso. A first axis 110 runs generally from thefinger-tips of a user's hand to a user's wrist 100 and/or elbow. Asecond axis 120 runs perpendicularly to the first axis 110 and runsgenerally from the user's palm 90 to the back of the user's hand. Athird axis 130 runs perpendicularly to the first axis 110 and the secondaxis 129 and runs generally from a first side of a user's hand to asecond side of a user's hand.

When the gyroscopic forces are applied to a rotational system along anaxis of rotation, the system will move along that axis and the forceswill therefore induce substantially transverse motion of the system.More specifically, when a gyroscopic force is applied along the firstaxis 110, the hand and wrist 100 move forward (in the direction of thefinger tips) and backwards (towards the wrist 100). When a gyroscopicforce is applied along the second axis 120, the hand and wrist 100 movefrom left (towards the torso of the user) to right (away from the torsoof the user). When a gyroscopic force is applied along the third axis130, the hand and wrist 100 move up and down. Specifically, to operatethe gyroscope 30 in an ergonomically appropriate manner, the up and downmotion combines with the forwards and backwards motion to create asubstantially pedaling motion which is a desirable motion for the userof a gyroscopic device, as it will tend to exercise the larger musclesof the user's arm, such as the biceps or the triceps.

The gyroscopic forces create gyroscopic moments when the gyroscopicforces are applied to a rotational system at a distance from an axis ofrotation and the gyroscopic moments induce substantially pivotal motionof the user's hand. The pivotal motion of the user's hand is less idealthan the transverse or pedaling motion because former motion tends tofatigue the smaller muscles of the user's hands and wrists before thelarger muscles such as the biceps and triceps are exercised, which maybe uncomfortable and less effective. The user's hand may pivot about thefirst axis 110, the second axis 120, and the third axis 130. The handpivots around the first axis 110 such that the hand remains parallel tothe forearm, and the palm 90 of the hand tilts away from and towards thetorso. The gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motionof the user's hand about the first axis 110 are created when thegyroscopic forces are applied a distance from an axis of rotation. Morespecifically, as shown in FIG. 8, when a gyroscopic force F is appliedalong or parallel to the second axis 120, and the gyroscopic force F isapplied at a distance X along the third axis 130 from the second axis120 (third direction moment arm), the gyroscopic force F creates agyroscopic moment M that induces substantially pivotal motion of theuser's hand about the first axis 110. Additionally, when a gyroscopicforce is applied along or parallel to the third axis 130 at a distancealong the second axis 120 from the third axis 130, the gyroscopic forcealso creates a gyroscopic moment that induces substantially pivotalmotion of the user's hand about the first axis 110. Similarly, when agyroscopic force is applied a distance from the first or third axis andcreates a gyroscopic moment about the second axis 120, the hand pivotsabout the wrist 100 such that the hand remains parallel to the forearmand the thumb moves up and down, above and below the forearm. Further,when a gyroscopic force is applied a distance from the first or secondaxis and creates a gyroscopic moment about the third axis 130, the handpivots about the wrist 100 such that the hand creates an angle with theforearm and the palm 90 of the hand moves away from and towards thetorso.

The first handle 40 of the preferred embodiment couples to the housing20 and provides a user interface for the gyroscopic device 10. The firsthandle 40 of the preferred embodiment has a first joint 50. The firstjoint 50 is coupled to the housing 20 and is located such that when auser grasps the first handle, the first joint is located along thecenter line of the user's palm 90 and adjacent to the user's wrist 100,as shown in FIG. 6. The location of the first joint along the centerline of the user's palm 90 and adjacent to the user's wrist 100positions the application location of the gyroscopic forces on the usersuch that (a) the gyroscopic moments, created by gyroscopic forcesapplied a distance from an axis of rotation that induce substantiallypivotal motion of the user's hand (as described above), are reduced, and(b) the gyroscopic forces, applied along an axis of rotation that inducesubstantially transverse motion of the user's hand, are applied to theuser. The first joint may further be located such that it positions theapplication location of the gyroscopic forces on the user such that thegyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motion of theuser's hand are eliminated and the gyroscopic forces that inducesubstantially transverse motion of the user's hand are applied to theuser. Although preferably designed for the hands of a user, the handlesmay alternatively be designed for the feet of a user.

As described above, the gyroscopic forces create gyroscopic moments thatinduce substantially pivotal motion of the user's hand about multipleaxes. The location of the first joint 50 along the center line of theuser's palm 90 preferably reduces, and more preferably eliminates, thegyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motion of theuser's hand about the first axis 110. The location of the first joint 50adjacent to the user's wrist 100 reduces, and more preferablyeliminates, the gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotalmotion of the user's hand about the second axis 120 and the third axis130.

The location of the first joint 50 along the center line of the user'spalm 90 reduces the gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotalmotion of the user's hand about the first axis 110 by reducing a thirddirection moment arm. The third direction moment arm is the distance Xalong the third axis 130 from the second axis 120 where the gyroscopicforce F (parallel to the second axis 120) is applied, as shown in FIG.8. If distance X is reduced towards zero, the gyroscopic force F isapplied close to or along the second axis 120 and will not create thegyroscopic moment M and will therefore move the hand in substantiallytransverse motion along the second axis 120. Similarly, the location ofthe first joint 50 adjacent to the user's wrist reduces the gyroscopicmoments that induce substantially pivotal motion of the user's handabout the second axis 120 and the third axis 130 by reducing a firstdirection moment arm.

The gyroscopic device 10 of the preferred embodiment may further includea second handle 60 that has a second joint 80 and couples to the housing20 and provides a user interface for the gyroscopic device 10. Thehandles 40 and 60 are preferably formed from a material that can becomfortably gripped by the user, such as foam, rubber, plastic, metal,or the like. The handles 40 and 60 may further include a grip portion70, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 6. The grip portion 70 may be made out ofplastic, rubber or any other suitable material to provide a grippingsurface for the user. The grip portion 70 may further include additionaluser interface elements such that the user may control the gyroscopicdevice with the first handle 40 and the second handle 60. The additionaluser interface elements preferably include on/off buttons, resistancecontrol buttons, safety lock release mechanisms, any other suitable userinterface elements or any combination thereof such that the user maycontrol the gyroscopic device through the handles 40 and 60 before,during, or after use.

In a first variation, the joints 50 and 80 are fully or partiallyrotatable joints. The handles 40 and 60 are connected to the gyroscope30 through the joints 50 and 80, respectively, such that the handles 40and 60 are fully or partially rotatable and may function as atraditional crank. The user may grip the handles 40 and 60 in thisvariation and create a pedaling motion to activate the gyroscope. Thejoints 50 and 80 are preferably universal joints (such as a pin andblock joint, a needle bearing joint, a ball and socket joint, or anyother suitable universal joint), but may alternatively be any suitablejoint or pivot such as a rod end ball joint, a clevis joint, a rotaryhinge joint, a swing joint, a swivel joint, or any other suitable joint.The joints 50 and 80 may be fully rotatable joints with at least onejoint having a rotation stop element such that the joint is rotatableover less than 360 degrees. Preferably, there is some rotation of eachhandle, particularly with respect to each other, such that the handlesmay be operated independently of each other. The handles 40 and 60 mayalternatively be connected to the gyroscopic device by a fully rotatablejoint, such that they are rotatably attached to the device and may spinfreely to allow the desired motion. The joint in this variation may be aball and socket joint or any other suitable joint. The handles 40 and 60in this variation are preferably made out of plastic, rubber, or anyother suitable material and may be rigid or flexible or any othersuitable combination.

In a second variation, as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C, the joints 50 and 80include a series of joints coupling portions of more rigid material andallow an oscillating motion (such as up and down). The distal portion ofthe handles 40 and 60 are preferably more rigid than the connectingportion and provide a suitable rigidity for the user to hold the handles40 and 60. Alternatively, the handles 40 and 60 and the handles 40 and60 in this variation may be entirely flexible and will allow rotationaland translational movement between the gyroscopic device and the handles40 and 60.

In a third variation, as shown in FIGS. 4A-5, the handles 40 and 60further include a first coupling element 140 and a second couplingelement 150, respectively, that couple the housing 20 to the joints 50and 80. The coupling elements preferably couple the housing 20 to thejoints such that the gyroscopic moments that induce substantiallypivotal motion of the user's hand are reduced and the gyroscopic forcesthat induce substantially transverse motion of the user's hand areapplied to the user. The joints 50 and 80 may couple to any portion ofthe coupling elements 140 and 150 or there may be multiple joints alongthe coupling elements. In the third variation, the handles are connectedvia the joints and the coupling elements in a generally perpendicularmanner. This arrangement of the handles allows for a more ergonomic userinterface for the gyroscopic exercise device, which may reduce thetorque experienced by the hands and wrists of a user. In this variation,the coupling elements 140 and 150 are preferably rigid and arepreferably rigidly mounted to the gyroscopic device. The handles 40 and60, on the other hand, are preferably connected to the coupling elements140 and 150 with joints 50 and 80 such as a universal joint or any otherjoint that allows at least two degrees of freedom (pitching and yawing),as shown in FIGS. 4A-5. In a variation, one or both of the handles 40and 60 may be additionally rotatably connected with a coupling element,which allows an additional degree of freedom (rolling). The handles 40and 60 may alternatively be connected to the gyroscopic device by anyother suitable joint or pivot such as a universal joint (such as a pinand block joint, a needle bearing joint, a ball and socket joint, or anyother suitable universal joint), a rod end ball joint, a clevis joint, arotary hinge joint, a swing joint, a swivel joint, or any other suitablejoint. In operation, the user may grip the handles 40 and 60 in thisvariation and create a pedaling motion to activate the gyroscope. Thehandles 40 and 60 in this variation may couple to the hands of the usersuch that the coupling elements may extend directly towards thegyroscope 30 from the wrist 100 of the user. In this variation, thehandles 40 and 60 may be wraps, gloves, wrist guards, or any othersuitable handle element. Alternatively, the handles 40 and 60 may begrasped by the user and the handles 40 and 60 include an extension fromthe handles 40 and 60 to the joints 50 and 80 where the couplingelements 140 and 150 are coupled at the wrist 100 of the user.

The gyroscopic device 10 of the preferred embodiment is preferably usedto reduce pivotal motion of a user's hand induced by a gyroscope. Themethod of reducing pivotal motion of a user's hand induced by agyroscope, wherein the gyroscope generates gyroscopic that creategyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motion of theuser's hand about multiple axes by applying a gyroscopic force alongmultiple moment arms, preferably includes the steps of: providing ahousing 20 that houses the gyroscope 30; providing a first handle 40having a first joint 50 coupled to the housing 20; locating the firstjoint 50 such that when a user grasps the first handle 40, the firstjoint 50 is located along the center line of the user's palm 90 therebyreducing the gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motionof the user's hand about a first axis 110 by reducing a third directionmoment arm; and locating the first joint 50 such that when a user graspsthe first handle, the first joint 50 is located adjacent to the user'swrist 100 thereby reducing the gyroscopic moments that inducesubstantially pivotal motion of the user's hand about a second axis 120and a third axis 130 by reducing a second direction moment arm.

As a person skilled in the art of gyroscopic devices will recognize fromthe previous detailed description and from the figures, modificationsand changes can be made to the preferred embodiments of the inventionwithout departing from the scope of this invention.

1. A gyroscopic device, comprising: a housing; a gyroscope, within thehousing, that generates gyroscopic forces that create gyroscopicmoments; wherein the gyroscope includes: a track defining a continuoussurface; a rotor that spins about a spin axis and rotates about arotational axis; wherein the rotor has axle tips that frictionallycontact the continuous surface of the track, wherein the frictionalcontact defines a relationship between a spin rate of the rotor aboutthe spin axis and a rotation rate of the rotor about the rotationalaxis; and a first handle having a first joint, wherein the first jointis coupled to the housing and is located such that when a user graspsthe first handle, the first joint is located along the center line ofthe user's palm and adjacent to the user's wrist.
 2. The gyroscopicdevice of claim 1 wherein the location of the first joint positions theapplication location of the gyroscopic forces on the user such that thegyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motion of theuser's hand are reduced and the gyroscopic forces that inducesubstantially transverse motion of the user's hand are applied to theuser.
 3. The gyroscopic device of claim 1 wherein the location of thefirst joint positions the application location of the gyroscopic forceson the user such that the gyroscopic moments that induce substantiallypivotal motion of the user's hand are eliminated and the gyroscopicforces that induce substantially transverse motion of the user's handare applied to the user.
 4. The gyroscopic device of claim 1 wherein thegyroscopic forces create gyroscopic moments that induce substantiallypivotal motion of the user's hand about multiple axes.
 5. The gyroscopicdevice of claim 4 wherein the location of the first joint along thecenter line of the user's palm eliminates the gyroscopic moments thatinduce substantially pivotal motion of the user's hand about a firstaxis.
 6. The gyroscopic device of claim 5 wherein the location of thefirst joint adjacent to the user's wrist reduces the gyroscopic momentsthat induce substantially pivotal motion of the user's hand about asecond axis and a third axis.
 7. The gyroscopic device of claim 5wherein the location of the first joint adjacent to the user's wristeliminates the gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotalmotion of the user's hand about a second axis and a third axis.
 8. Thegyroscopic device of claim 1 wherein the first joint is a rotatablejoint.
 9. The gyroscopic device of claim 8 wherein the first joint is auniversal joint.
 10. The gyroscopic device of claim 8 wherein the firstjoint is a fully rotatable joint having a rotation stop element suchthat the joint is rotatable less than 360 degrees.
 11. The gyroscopicdevice of claim 1 wherein the first joint includes a series of jointsthat couple portions of rigid material, such that the first joint allowsthe user to move their hand in an oscillating, up and down motion. 12.The gyroscopic device of claim 1 further comprising a coupling elementthat couples to the first joint.
 13. The gyroscopic device of claim 12wherein the coupling element couples the housing to the first joint suchthat the gyroscopic moments that induce substantially pivotal motion ofthe user's hand are reduced and the gyroscopic forces that inducesubstantially transverse motion of the user's hand are applied to theuser.
 14. The gyroscopic device of claim 1 further comprising a secondhandle having a second joint, wherein the second joint is coupled to thehousing and is located such that when a user grasps the second handle,the second joint is located along the center line of the user's palm andadjacent to the user's wrist.
 15. The gyroscopic device of claim 14wherein the second joint is a rotatable joint.
 16. The gyroscopic deviceof claim 15 wherein the second joint is a universal joint.
 17. Thegyroscopic device of claim 14 wherein the first handle and the secondhandle further include a grip portion that provides a gripping surfacefor the user.
 18. The gyroscopic device of claim 14 wherein the firsthandle and the second handle further include additional user interfaceelements such that the user may control the gyroscopic device with thefirst handle and the second handle.
 19. A gyroscopic device, comprising:a housing; a gyroscope, within the housing, that generates gyroscopicforces that create gyroscopic moments; wherein the gyroscope includes: atrack defining a continuous surface; a rotor that spins about a spinaxis and rotates about a rotational axis; wherein the rotor has axletips that frictionally contact the continuous surface of the track,wherein the frictional contact defines a relationship between a spinrate of the rotor about the spin axis and a rotation rate of the rotorabout the rotational axis; and a first handle having a first joint,wherein the location of the first joint positions the applicationlocation of the gyroscopic forces on the user such that the gyroscopicmoments that induce substantially pivotal motion of the user's hand arereduced and the gyroscopic forces that induce substantially transversemotion of the user's hand are applied to the user.
 20. A user interfacefor a gyroscope that generates gyroscopic forces that create gyroscopicmoments, wherein the gyroscope includes a track and a rotor that spinsabout a spin axis and rotates about a rotational axis; the userinterface comprising: a housing that houses the gyroscope; a firsthandle having a first joint, wherein the first joint is coupled to thehousing and is located such that when a user grasps the first handle,the first joint is located along the center line of the user's palm andadjacent to the user's wrist.